Saturday, November 12, 2005

Robert Jones (1926- )

According to Walt Reed's "Illustrator in America" Jones was born in LA and began "drawing animation" for Disney while still in highschool. He then spent time in the military before taking two years at USC and two and half more years at Art Center School in LA.

He was still focused on humourous illustration when he joined the Charles E. Cooper studios in New York and his early assignments for The Saturday Evening Post reflected that strength, but gradually his range expanded and he began illustrating in a variety of styles for many national publications.

TI list member David Roach wondered if this was the same Robert Jones who regularly contributed to Mad magazine for many years up to and including the 1970s. With the help of list member Neil Shapiro, who has interviewed Jones, it was determined that this was indeed the same artist.

Hi, Leif, and congratulations on your new blog. I think this is a great idea.I was not familiar with the illustration work of Bob Jones, although I did see his occasional work in Mad. It's amazing how these old time artists re-invented themselves as the market changed. Magazines and comic strips died out and photography conquered advertising, but these guys were able to find new work by looking in new spaces adopting new styles. Their tenacity is inspiring.

Allow me to be the first one to officially make a comment on your new blog, Leif! I think it's a great idea, one that expands the TI universe. I think it'll be a great addition to my ever-expanding blogroll.

Thanks for posting this information on Robert Jones-- I was familiar with his work for Mad Magazine but I had no idea he was previously an illustrator working in a completely different style.

I am looking forward to your blog and will check it regularly. Where else would I possibly learn about an illustrator like Jones? It's great that your network can pool information on these old timers. It is also amazing that that these old pros were able to re-invent themselves to find new opportunities as the market shrank. By managing to do good, solid work in a variety of styles, Jones was a real survivor. This reminds me of the wise advice of illustrator Daniel Pelavin: "Illustration as a career is most successfully pursued by those to whom no other option is acceptable. It takes that kind of motivation to overcome the inevitable and constant stream of obstacles."